Improving design critiques
Briefly

Design critiques are vital for ensuring high-quality work and fostering a robust design culture. Many design teams encounter significant difficulties in organizing and executing effective critiques. Inefficiencies are widespread, noted in companies of various sizes. Designers frequently receive diverse feedback requests, complicating their critique processes. A significant issue arises from mixing different meeting purposes within critiques. Establishing clear distinctions among feedback goals, such as enhancing design craft, storytelling, and understanding user outcomes, is essential for facilitating productive critique sessions.
Ineffective critiques are extremely common across various companies, from Fortune 25 to startups, indicating a universal struggle among design teams to conduct them smoothly.
Designers often face numerous requests for feedback on their work—from partners, managers, executives, and fellow designers—leading to a complex feedback dynamic that is unique to the design role.
Many design critiques confuse meeting purposes; breaking feedback into separate goals can enhance clarity and improve the effectiveness of critiques within teams.
A key goal of effective critique is to level-up design craft and product experience over time by actively engaging in storytelling and identifying user outcomes.
Read at Medium
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